1918 Map of Spring Valley

About this map

Spring Valley is defined by its complex drainage network, where the Spring Valley Creek and several distinct forks carve through the Colusa County terrain. This 1918 Preliminary Edition reflects a landscape at the transition between the valley floor and more varied topography, surveyed originally in 1905 by topographic teams including C.H. Birdseye and C.L. Nelson. The naming of Old Cortina Creek alongside its South Fork suggests an established system of seasonal or perennial waterways that dictated local land use long before modern irrigation changed the Central Valley's water management. The area shows little in the way of built infrastructure, focusing instead on the natural features like Chamisal Creek and the South Fork, which provided the necessary water sources for early ranching and agricultural operations in this part of California.